This morning it is rainy and windy and only 16 degrees! Such a change from the weather we have been having of late. Today we are heading to Halifax to visit Peir 21 and see if I can find out some info on my dad and his family.
First stop is Peggy's Cove to mail a card. They actually put the Lighthouse postmark on the envelope. The lady at the counter asked if we had our passports as they are allowed to stamp them. I didn't have them with us but we might be back in time to do that. Neat!
The trip into Halifax was not bad, very little traffic. As we travel along following the route on my iPhone we notice that Quinpool Street could be any street in Vancouver, in fact it looks a lot like 12th Street going towards VGH.
We arrive at Pier 21 and parking is easy. There is a big lot there with lots of spots available. It's exciting, I have been looking forward to coming here for a long time.
We get there just in time for the "Oh Canada" movie being shown on the big boat. It's about various experiences of those that have immigrated over the years. It's funny, sad and emotional all at the same time. Well done.
Then we join up with the tour that provides an explanation of the offices of immigration over the years. Canada was trying to attract immigrants with skills and did a lot of advertising that made Canada look very appealing - missing out the part about the winters and the effort and stamina needed to make a living. It was very interesting. Those wanting to immigrate had to have a sponsor, the amount of money needed for their voyage and a signed work contract. Mostly it was men who came over and if they were successful then the women and children followed. Not all immigrants stayed.
CN built the immigration centre - once the immigrants cleared through customs they then boarded the trains for their destination. If they didn't have a work contract or did not meet other criteria they had to leave on the next ship. Very interesting tour.
We then headed for the research centre. This is a free service to search for ancestors that immigrated to Canada. Jason was the fellow that helped us and he was very knowledgeable. I had very little information to go on, but Jason found out that Robert and Jennie Horner came to Canada sometime between 1906 and 1910 from Glasgow, Scotland and they settled in Edmonton, Alberta. It was here that the 3 brothers were born. Uncle Percy was born in Vancouver when they moved to Vancouver. They also had some boarders according to the 1916 Census. Some of the information is confusing from the census and I am going to contact Cara MacDonald, the Reference Services Manager, to see if she can find the ship they came on and the actual immigration date. It was exciting to find out that much though.
On the way back we took a drive into Terence Bay, a community just out of Halifax.
We stopped and picked up our passports and headed back to Peggy's Cove to get them stamped. It is still very busy there even though it is raining and blowing a gale. The fog is rolling in and it looks gloomy today - not pretty like yesterday. On the way out we stop at the rock carvings.
DeGarthe sculpted the monument to the fishermen in three sections.
Grace is the Guardian Angel watching over the fishermen and their families.
Bounty celebrates the riches of the sea.
Work depicts the fishermen hard at work catching the fish.
William deGarthe born in 1907 and passed on in 1983. He was a Canadian painter and sculptor that retired to Peggy's Cove in 1955. He sculpted the "Fisherman's Monument" on the rock located behind his house. He drew the outlines on the rock and then drilled and carved out his images. He was a very famous artist in his time.
That was a very busy day and now time to get some dinner going.
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